Shopping

HALFWAY -- It's not every day you can buy hand-painted Vietnamese tunic and pant sets at a park. But at Halfway Park Days at Martin L. "Marty" Snook Memorial Park, patrons can find traditional festival fare and a bit of the unexpected as well. Vendors sprawl the length of the walking trail and beyond, offering at turns silver jewelry, decorative outhouses, magic shows, window estimates and fried chicken. Denise Luna, 54, of Hagerstown, stood in the Carol Fashions booth with her sister, Dawn Burkholder, 51, and her niece, Krystal Caudell, 28, trying on Vietnamese apparel.

HALFWAY - It's not every day you can buy hand-painted Vietnamese tunic and pant sets at a park. But at Halfway Park Days at Martin L. "Marty" Snook Memorial Park, patrons can find traditional festival fare and a bit of the unexpected. Vendors sprawl the length of the walking trail and beyond, offering at turns silver jewelry, decorative outhouses, magic shows, window estimates and fried chicken. Denise Luna, 54, of Hagerstown, stood in the Carol Fashions booth trying on Vietnamese apparel with her sister, Dawn Burkholder, 51, and her niece, Krystal Caudell, 28. "The quality is excellent, it's washable and (the vendor)

You wouldn't go out into the sun without proper protection for your skin and your eyes shouldn't be ignored, either. The glare from the rising or setting sun can be blinding and could be hazardous to yourself as well as to pedestrians and oncoming traffic. The Sun Zapper consists of a tinted hard-plastic shield that clips to the edge of your car's standard visor and flips down when needed (it's design fits most vehicles). A sliding extra-dark protector provides an extra measure to block the sun. Sun Zapper sells for around $20 and is available through a number of online shopping sites.

SMITHSBURG - When Debbie Stanley opened The Village Emporium in mid-June, it was a dream come true for the fledgling entrepreneur. But considering the volatility of the current business climate, it was also a leap of faith - a leap she was willing to take with God's help. "I've always enjoyed shopping in stores like this, so I thought, 'Why not?'" she said. Stanley chose the store's name carefully so people would know that the inventory is wide and varied. There is seasonal home decor, candles, primitives and inspirations, Stanley said.

There are some things you can always count on. The basic laws of gravity, the fact that chai tea is delicious and that the seasons in the year follow the same basic principals. Summer really hot. Winter really cold. Just take this winter, for example. Temperatures have been freez ... . Oh, wait. Unusually warm winter temperatures this year have thrown people for a loop. We expected to be riding sleds and building snowmen, but instead we have gotten 60-degree weather. I personally enjoy wearing scarves and nice warm clothes.

Brenda Goodwyn said she counts her loyal customers and employees among the reasons that her store, The Figurehead II women's clothing boutique, has been in business for 10 years in downtown Hagerstown. It also doesn't hurt, she said, to have a supportive family and friends. "Those people are my support group," Goodwyn said. "They have helped me get through the ups and downs. " Goodwyn said she left a career in real estate to open the two-room boutique at 2 W. Franklin St. after she discussed the venture with her late mother-in-law, who sold clothes at the original Figurehead in the seaside community of Lewes, Del. With name brands such as Flax and Cynthia Ashby, a lot of the clothes are linens that emphasize comfort and a relaxed fit, she said.

pepperb@herald-mail.com After spending eight hours Saturday shopping for school clothes, parent Shirley Dice said she left Valley Mall feeling like half of the clothes she bought for her children won't be in compliance with Washington County Public Schools' systemwide dress code. "It's a lot harder" to shop for school clothes, Dice, 43, of Clear Spring, said Sunday during a return trip to the mall. Shopping time has doubled for Dice, who was shopping for two of her girls.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com TRI-STATE - Predictions that the 2002 Christmas shopping season will be slower than those in recent years appear to be borne out in interviews with 20 Tri-State area residents Saturday. Seven said they would be spending less this year, eight will spend about the same as last year and only four residents said they expect to spend more. "Money is tighter this year so I'll be spending less on Christmas," said Tonya Spencer, 36, of Hagerstown.

daniels@herald-mail.com HALFWAY - Tre Steffick was emptying trash bags Tuesday night as his colleagues celebrated the opening of a new Martin's Food Market at 1650 C Wesel Blvd., during a preview for associates and their families. There were plenty of smiling faces and an abundance of free samples throughout the store. "This is really awesome that our company's doing all this for our customers," said Steffick, of Falling Waters, W.Va. "This store is state-of-the-art.

Supermarkets stock thousands of products, yet not everyone is eating well. According to Michael McBurney at Kellogg Co., customers typically make 50 percent or more of their purchases from a list of about 150 products. Other purchases often are impulse buys that can add to the grocery bill unnecessarily. Impulse purchases also increase when shoppers are hungry or shop without a list. A U.S. Census Consumer Expenditure Survey found that, on average, an American family of four spent $5,357 or about 13 percent of their total annual expenditures on food.